The 30-year-old is the owner of Firm Cobbler x Firm Bundle, a “shoe spa business” he started seven years ago after he encountered difficulty in finding branded shoecare services.
“In 2017, there were no shops offering these services in Taiping. It was quite frustrating for me because the dozens of shoes I had collected needed proper cleaning to maintain their condition,” he told Bernama.
“That’s when I got the idea to learn cleaning, sole patching, and repainting techniques from YouTube. It didn’t take long to master the skills and eventually open my business.”
The Selama-born entrepreneur said Firm Cobbler x Firm Bundle is supported by his two friends, Nasrul Aman Azmi, 29, and Muhammad Alif Idham Abdull Rashid, 23, who serve as assistants and are the “backbone” of the operation, helping to facilitate customer needs.
“They’ve been invaluable in managing tasks related to cleaning, repainting, and sole patching, as required by our customers,” Syameel added.
He said on average, between 150 and 200 pairs of shoes are sent by customers each month for cleaning, repainting and sole patching. The types of shoes sent to his boutique vary from formal and casual to sports shoes.
“We offer rates starting at RM15 for regular cleaning per pair, RM65 for repainting, and RM80 for sole patching,” he said, adding that the prices are set regardless of whether the shoes are made of canvas, leather, satin or denim.
Firm Cobbler x Firm Bundle also offers services for other accessories such as cleaning and refurbishing hats, bags, belts and wallets.
In addition, the boutique sells items such as shoes, shirts, trackpants, shorts, bags and other accessories from international brands like Stone Island, Fred Perry, CP Company, Lyle & Scott, Adidas, Pretty Green, Weekend Offender and Napapijri.
Syameel said the response to his business has been “very encouraging”, especially during festive seasons. As for the future, he hopes to expand on a larger scale, but emphasised that support from relevant agencies is crucial to achieving that goal.
“I’ve been funding everything myself, without any assistance from any parties or relevant agencies, since 2017. To further grow, I would be very grateful for any support.
“With financial assistance, for instance, I am confident my business can reach even greater heights,” he concluded.
Find out more on Instagram.
Firm Cobbler x Firm Bundle
Ground floor, Jalan Istana Larut,
Taman Lake View,
34000 Taiping, Perak
Business hours: 9am-9pm daily
Contact: 019-526 3249